Music Talk Board

So...FB just bought Oculus Rift, the company that's been working on VR headsets. (Dear God, the headsets look SO UGLY. Hopefully, someone fixes it, so consumers don't feel like they have 50 fucking pounds on their head.) Kind of a big deal.

http://kotaku.com/facebook-buys-oculus-r...1551487939

I'm personally a bit skeptical of VR right now, although I could see it going places in the future. Right now, though...concerns like dealing with nausea and physics...that's kind of an issue to me. Anyway, thoughts on VR and this big FB purchase?

One step closer to Sword Art Online.

lol, I thought you might say that.

I don't understand what the hell facebook wants with something like that. Its like how all the news channels are into HD and 3D. I don't really give a fuck, its news. And I'm sure as hell not going to buy a VR headset to browse facebook on it.

I honestly feel like this is just going to make the Oculus just disappear once they realize it was a wasted investment in their part.

I have friends who will probably be mad, because they have one, and one of them has been working on designing VR games.

Well...as to what FB wants, the answer is in the article:

Quote:UPDATE - Here's a full statement from Mark Zuckerberg:

"I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we're in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.

This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it's different from anything they've ever experienced in their lives.

Oculus's mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences.

Immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won't be changing and we hope to accelerate. The Rift is highly anticipated by the gaming community, and there's a lot of interest from developers in building for this platform. We're going to focus on helping Oculus build out their product and develop partnerships to support more games. Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook to achieve this.

But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home.

This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.

These are just some of the potential uses. By working with developers and partners across the industry, together we can build many more. One day, we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become a part of daily life for billions of people.

Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together. I can't wait to start working with the whole team at Oculus to bring this future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us."

They're hoping to cash in long-term investment. However, it is a possibility that this may just kill Oculus's chances. Sony has a competing device though, and other companies will also develop VR machines soon. Zuckerberg is just counting on Oculus making it big with this product, in the same way that Apple was with early iPods.

Ah, we can enjoy shitty facebook video chat over it? I mean I understand the investment in it as a gaming device, and I'd agree that it has potential to do other things, possibly a communication device, but I feel like anything facebook tries to do directly with it will be a complete failure.

Or maybe I just hope it will be a failure so people won't just be wearing these things in public checking their freaking facebook feed, haha.

(03-26-2014, 01:07 PM)Danjo Wrote: [ -> ]Ah, we can enjoy shitty facebook video chat over it? I mean I understand the investment in it as a gaming device, and I'd agree that it has potential to do other things, possibly a communication device, but I feel like anything facebook tries to do directly with it will be a complete failure.

Or maybe I just hope it will be a failure so people won't just be wearing these things in public checking their freaking facebook feed, haha.

Well, that's kind of my fear. That'd it be a failure. (The idea of VR devices will succeed, I think, though.) I mean, as far as it being a gaming device -- GREAT! Awesome idea! A communication device...well, ok. I can see how that would be a good idea...to an extent.

But, for instance, using a VR device to "see" your doctor. 90% of the time, the doctor needs to see your symptoms physically. If you're seeing a psychiatrist, he/she needs to record your social reactions during the appointment. If you're going in for an eye appointment, he/she needs to physically test your eyes. Not to mention that, for many people, that "bedside manner" helps reassure them. Social interactions over VR would be like talking over video chat, and that just isn't the same as actually being in the same room with someone as you talk to them. So, it'd be great for certain things, but I think there's some social interactions and/or appointments that work better if both parties are physically there.

(03-26-2014, 05:57 AM)crazysam23 Wrote: [ -> ]lol, I thought you might say that.

What's going to happen:

Haha.

Just thinking about it, it would be kinda cool if instead of a "newsfeed" they made it like a virtual reality environment you moved around in. Or even better, if you could record events as a VR environment instead of just picture or something. Like "Here is my new house!" and people could do a virtual tour of it. Obviously that requires a lot on the capture end though.

That would make porn quite interesting.